John AravosisFollow me on Twitter: @aravosis | @americablog | @americabloggay | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn. John Aravosis is the former editor of AMERICAblog, which he founded in 2004. He has a joint law degree (JD) and masters in Foreign Service from Georgetown (1989); and worked in the US Senate, World Bank, Children's Defense Fund, and as a stringer for the Economist. Frequent TV pundit: O'Reilly Factor, Hardball, World News Tonight, Nightline & Reliable Sources. Bio, article archive.

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As a participant in a Churches United event in Harrisburg, PA, I felt honored to have been picketed by a Phred Phelps batallion. (Churches United is a group representing almost all mainstream churches and denominations, including reform synagogues) in the Harriaburg area. I had also attended a worship service at Christ Church (Episcopal) in Philadelphia, GW’s home parish, during Philadelphia’s annual “Equality Forum” where the Phelpsters also picketed. The city provided police protection FOR THE WORSHIPPERS. Very kewl.

Stev84

Yeah, there is nothing “united” about the so-called “United” states. It’s a rather loose confederacy of states that all pretend to be independent countries. It’s highly ridiculous in an age of high mobility and inter-connectedness.

Stev84

That line is just bizarre. That’s how the system always works. If the so-called “democratic process” discriminates against a minority, the courts are meant to correct it.

You’re missing one thing though. They are arguing for heightened scrutiny. That alone would greatly affect the Prop 8 case (and any other state level legislation) even if they don’t file a brief.

Stev84

On a personal level Josef Mengele was very kind to the children he experimented on

http://fighttherightwingnuts.blogspot.com/ mike31c

Nice as in a snake cornering a rat?

http://www.rebeccamorn.com/mind BeccaM

You’re right, it is a good read.

A history of anti-gay animus is key to proving pervasive institutionalized discrimination against a class of people who, despite fact-denying religious arguments to the contrary, did not choose their sexual orientation. But I especially love the parts where they get into the congressional arguments in favor of passing DOMA, and how so much was specious, false, or flat out homophobic. Congressional intent is an important factor in SCOTUS deliberations, and if it’s clear to them (well, five of them anyway) that Congress was not attempting to ‘protect traditional marriage’ but to enact legislative discrimination against a protected minority class…well, then there’s some hope.

I agree with you though: This “let the states determine the law” is BS. If I were to marry a guy here in NM or any other state or anywhere else in the entire world, that marriage would — in nearly all cases — be recognized as legally valid and binding everywhere in America. But now? Get married in NY or MA and drive to PA and suddenly you and your wife or husband are merely ‘friends.’

Anything less than full national recognition and we’re stuck in the marital version of Dred Scott.

Keep her talking about gardening and religion at the same time. Maybe she’ll dig her own grave.

Houndentenor

I doubt it’s actionable, but it could be used against her in the next lawsuit.

Houndentenor

Sociopaths are usually charming. I have a work acquaintance who everyone liked. Everyone. He was caught stealing from pretty much everyone he knew last fall. Everyone was shocked. Upon thinking about it I realized that he was a master of mirroring. Everyone he met thought he was like them, agreed with them on every topic, etc. I’m not even sure he was aware he was doing it. The gay people thought he was gay. The straight people thought he was straight. The liberals, the conservatives, the religious the nonreligious…everyone thought he was “one of us”. It was only after he got caught red-handed that it became clear to me how he operated. Everyone trusted him. No one ought to have. So it doesn’t surprise me that you found a charming criminal. How else would someone get enough access to commit serious crimes? Yes, some criminals come off as monsters, but a lot don’t.

Houndentenor

I’ve heard her in interviews. If you talk to her about a noncontroversial topic like gardening she comes off as a very sweet friendly person. Then you get her onto a religious topic and she sounds like… well you’ve all heard it for yourselves I’m sure. Oy. The one does not make up for the other but it is kind of bizarre. I’d be interested in what a qualified professional had to say about that kind of dual nature in someone’s personality.

http://adgitadiaries.com/ karmanot

I see a New Yorker cartoon in there somewhere.

FLL

Shirley Phelps is shameless enough to actually state flat-out that she’s out to make money by suing people. That should clue everyone in as to what kind of scumbag she is. That’s how vultures and ambulance chasers try to manipulate the court system.

FLL

Thanks for the link. DOJ’s action is necessary but not sufficient. From Friday’s brief, this is DOJ’s argument saying that civil rights trumps elected government at the federal level, since it was Congress and President Clinton that made DOMA law:

“This is, however, the rare case in which deference to the democratic process must give way to the fundamental constitutional command of equal treatment under law.”

We’re still waiting for the other shoe to drop, which would be an amicus brief in the Prop 8 case explaining why civil rights trumps elected government at the state level. This is a higher hurdle for two reasons. First, Obama touted “states’ rights” in an obvious ploy to get electoral votes from swing states in the 2012 election, so he’ll have to reverse his states’ rights BS. Second, although the DOJ has argued in favor of the plaintiffs in DOMA cases for over two and a half years, it has never represented plaintiffs in the Prop 8 case. (That would be Olson and Boies.) Higher hurdle or not, Obama has to do it if he wants to dump the states’ rights BS. Do I think he will? Not necessarily. I don’t admire Barack Obama. I only consider him to be sometimes useful.

ROTFL! Apparently he also wants to strike a blow against hypocrisy. He wants Shirley to give him his own sign: “Justin Bieber sucks dick.” And Shirley says she just wants to make money by suing people. The TV sitcom writes itself.

Jafafa Hots

I knew a serial rapist and murderer. They executed him for it in Texas.

Apart from that whole serial raping and murdering thing, he was quite charming.

SkippyFlipjack

Ummm.. there was an Mtv Cribs episode filmed at the Phelps house? WTF

(“…. and thiiiiis is where the magic happens.” OK I feel sick now.)

http://twitter.com/WTHella Tornado

I used to work with guys charged with very serious crimes. I’m talking murder, rape you name it. When I first started working with them I was seriously expecting them to be these evil inhuman monsters when the fact was they were just mostly ordinary people with family’s and had the same normal worries we all have,

http://AMERICAblog.com/ John Aravosis

I heard about it this evening, I need to look through it tomorrow and read around about it – I don’t like just posting stuff like that when everyone else posts it, without trying to find something original to say, since it’s out there already.

http://twitter.com/WTHella Tornado

I’ve thought the Phelps were frauds for a long time now. They protest events they think might cause someone to act in a way they can sue them. You heard the guy say they lived in a mansion? They are professional protesters and spend a lot of time suing people. I hear there’s a lot of money in it. BTW I noticed there wasnt a post about President Obama filing a brief on DOMA or did I miss it?

Max_1

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner II

… The gay addition.

Max_1

Adolph liked children

… Even the Jewish ones he sent to get gassed?

FunMe

That was WIERD. Very.

nicho

So do members of the Westboro Baptist Church — and not in a nice way.

nicho

Nobody who pickets funerals with hate signs is a nice person.

caphillprof

Adolph liked children and small animals.

http://www.rebeccamorn.com/mind BeccaM

In the news: Obama’s DoJ urges SCOTUS to overturn DOMA.

Solicitor General Donald Verrilli argues in the brief that Section 3 of the 1996 federal law prohibits the marriage of same-sex couples and should get the court’s close scrutiny.